Beatles purists will be thrilled to hear the news today. Disney+ will be releasing a remastered edition of the long-lost Let It Be documentary.
Not to be confused with Peter Jackson's The Beatles: Get Back, Let It Be is the original companion piece to the legendary album. On May 8, Let It Be will be available to stream on Disney+. This is the first time that the documentary has been restored.
See The Beatles in the 1970 film, Let it Be, fully restored for the first time, streaming May 8 only on #DisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/tI6MGWCN6d
— Disney+ (@DisneyPlus) April 16, 2024
Disney+'s music collection
Disney+ has been diving deep into the world of music. The Let It Be news comes on the heels of Disney+ announcing they will release a restored edition of Queen's legendary concert film, Queen Rock Montreal.
The streaming service has been dipping its toe into the music world a lot lately. They have produced documentaries for Olivia Rodrigo, Ed Sheeran, and Taylor Swift. Bono and The Edge of U2 got their own special called A Sort of Homecoming, which tied in with their Songs of Surrender release in 2023.
Not to mention, the streaming service acquired the rights to Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour. The concert film was a blockbuster hit in theaters, grossing over $260 million worldwide. This came after Swift went straight to AMC Theatres to distribute the film. The bet paid off and Disney+ subsequently acquired the streaming rights, releasing Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor's Version) with more songs.
Mary McCartney, daughter of former Beatle Paul McCartney, directed If These Walls Could Sing for Disney+ as well. The documentary was a telling of the story of the iconic Abbey Road studio. McCartney and Beatles bandmate Ringo Starr headlined the names featured. John Williams, Elton John, Noel and Liam Gallagher, Jimmy Page, and Roger Waters also appeared in the documentary.
The Beatles' Let It Be
Let It Be was the Beatles' final studio album as a group. Released in 1970, the album also got a tie-in documentary directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg. It chronicled the group's rehearsals and recording sessions for the album.
The most noteworthy part of the film is the rooftop concert. All four Beatles got on the roof of Apple Corps' building and played an unannounced show.
For the documentary, the Beatles won an Oscar for Best Original Score. It beat out the likes of The Baby Maker, A Boy Named Charlie Brown, Darling Lili, and Scrooge.
However, this isn't the first time the Let It Be sessions have been remastered. Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings) previously released The Beatles: Get Back. That docuseries was a three-part, 468-minute-long deep dive into the sessions. There was some overlap in the footage, as Jackson also remastered the rooftop concert.
Disney+ also released the rooftop concert portion of the series in IMAX. The full performance is also available on streaming services.
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